Edam
Edam is only a 30 minute drive north of Amsterdam, but its small-town and sedate atmosphere was a refreshing change after the hustle and bustle of the city. At one time, Edam had over 30 shipyards and was a busy whaling port. Now the city of only 7000 inhabitants is quiet and peaceful, except during the July and August cheese market. We saw the old Kaaswaag, the cheese weigh house, where 250,000 pounds of cheese were once sold each year. Edam also has some picturesque canals, drawbridges, and warehouses.
Hoorn
Hoorn was once capital of West Friesland and home of the Dutch East India Company, so it was a very booming port city in the 17th century. Now Hoorn is home to a harbor full of yachts, and the scenic harbor is lined with stately homes. Hoorn had 2 famous sailor sons--one was the first to sail around the tip of South America in 1616 and named it after his hometown--Cape Horn. The second explorer discovered New Zealand and Tasmania a few years later.
Enkhuizen
Enkhuizen is one of the most delightful towns on the West Frisian peninsula, and we were glad to spend the night there. Like many other port cities, Enkhuizen's prime was during the heyday of the Dutch merchant fleet. However, when the Zuiderzee began to silt up in the late 17th century, Enkhuizen's role as an important port also dried up. The small town is now home to the Zuiderzeemuseum, an impressive historical look at life in the region before the bay was sealed off in 1932. The museum consists of an open air museum that looks like a mock Zuiderzee village from the early 20th century, complete with inhabitants in traditional dress.
After spending a day in Noord Holland, we dined and slept overnight on the Viking Europe while docked in Enkhuizen.
The next day on our Viking Europe Dutch Journey, we had a bus tour of the Friesland lake region of the Netherlands and the village of Hindeloopen. We rejoined the ship in Lemmer to cruise on the Ijssel River over dinner to Kampen.
Friesland Region
Friesland is often called the lake district of the Netherlands. It is flat, green, and has many lakes. The region is also full of black and white cows, the namesake Frisians. The residents of Friesland live on mostly reclaimed land, and old stories are told about the early days of the "new" land that sometimes it was difficult to tell whether you were in muddy water or watery mud!
One of the more interesting women who called the Friesland region her home was the famous Mata Hari from World War I. There is a Mata Hari museum in Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland. Leeuwarden also has two other interesting museums--the Fries Museum and the Princessehof Museum. The Fries Museum tells the story of the Frisian culture and has many silver pieces--long a specialty of Frisian artisans. The Princessehof museum is a haven for pottery or ceramic lovers. The Princessehof has tiles from around the world, and fantastic selections from the Far East.
Our tour stopped at Hindeloopen, a small village on the Ijsselmeer. This picturesque town has canals, little bridges, and a nice waterfront. Hindeloopen is also one of the key towns in the Elfstedentocht, the Eleven Cities Race. This speed skating marathon event is 200km long and the record time is over 6 hours. The Eleven Cities Race takes place in the Friesland Region, but can only be held in years when all of the canals are frozen. The "annual" race has only been held 15 times since 1909. The race cannot even be scheduled until 3 days before it is run, and the entire district participates in either skating, working, or watching the event. Sounds like fun!
Kampen
A short cruise on the Ijssel River will bring the Viking Europe to Kampen. This small town has not yet been overrun by tourists, much like some of the other towns in the Overijssel region. We took a walking tour of Kampen, stopping to see the Nieuwe Tower and the 14th century Bovenkerk church.
Deventer
The Viking River cruised throughout the Captain's dinner, stopping at the Hanseatic city of Deventer for the night. Deventer was a busy port as far back as 800 AD. Today the city has a compact circle of interesting canals, and some wonderful architecture in many of its buildings. Some of our fellow passengers wandered around the village after dinner. One of the nice things about a river cruise is that the ship usually docks right in the center of town.
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